


maybe this time

by milfbyers



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28549821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milfbyers/pseuds/milfbyers
Summary: joyce spends another night alone on the couch while lonnie spends another night out at the bar.
Relationships: Joyce Byers/Lonnie Byers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	maybe this time

the lights in the kitchen were off. the only glow that illuminated joyce’s features was the dim light above the oven that kept a wrapped plate of dinner in view. it was cold now, joyce knew there was no point in attempting to save the mashed potatoes or to reheat the meatloaf. 

she was tired of being upset with her husband. lonnie’s promises time after time proved to be empty. heavy words with too much meaning that fell flat at her feet. some days, joyce believed she was still the naive 20 year old that ached to believe the man in front of her. the one that gave too many chances to someone who never deserved one in the first place. 

joyce had been making breakfast when she asked him to be home for dinner. lonnie walked up behind her in the kitchen, getting ready to leave for work when he said, “of course i’ll be home for dinner, baby” against her skin. his voice was rough and it made her cheeks flush as he pressed kisses down her neck and his hands snuck under her shirt. she had laughed and leaned back into him. 

but joyce knew that the beers (and women) at the bar had a stronger hold on him than the ring on his left hand. yet, she made dinner anyways. excitement had bubbled and pooled in her stomach all afternoon. she had a new bottle of wine she wanted to open and she debated whether or not to curl her hair. but when 6:00 came around and was quickly followed by 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, joyce found herself eating dinner alone again.

the faucet started to drip and joyce rubbed at her eyes. it was now another thing she had to add to the list of things that lonnie needed to fix. the list that would soon become things that she alone had to fix. lonnie would groan at the mention of her needing his help, she could hear him now, she could see the bottle of beer in his hand and the frown setting quickly on his lips, “joyce, i just got home, can’t it wait?” or “you always have something to bitch about, don’t you? it’s fine, babe.”

she felt as if she were drowning. the faucet needed to be fixed, the washing machine and dryer needed to be replaced, and her car had been begging for a new set of brakes since may and it was now quickly approaching october. 

joyce put her cigarette out in the ashtray next to her. she craved another immediately. her hands itched for something to do, a remedy for the anxiety tightening her chest and pulling at her stomach. she gave in to the desire and the flicker of the lighter was soon accompanying the drip of the faucet and the quiet mumble of the tv in the living room. 

a car drove by, illuminating the kitchen in a fleeting glow. she tried to ignore the disappointment in her chest when the car kept driving instead of turning into the driveway. there was no crunch of the gravel, no echo of a car door slamming as her husband finally, finally decided to come home.

exhaustion had settled into her shoulders hours ago when she first took her spot at the table and it was working it’s way down. joyce bit back a yawn. she was desperate to stay up, to see the sun rise from her back porch as she nursed a cup of coffee and waited to wake the boys up for school. she wanted to see lonnie’s face when… if he came home. joyce wanted a fight. she wanted to scream, to get in his face and make him feel guilty. 

but she had already screamed before. she screamed until her throat was raw and her voice was hoarse. joyce gave and gave until she had nothing left to offer and now that version of herself was all lonnie chose to see. she was no longer his quiet and exciting new girlfriend. joyce was now his crazy and ungrateful wife. she still can’t figure out what she did to make him see her that way. and she knew she never really would. 

joyce rubbed at her eyes again. the clock on the wall in front of her read 1:08. she stood up and her body ached. there was no point in staying up. in a few hours, lonnie would come stumbling in with slurred sentences of drunken apologies and she would have no choice but to kiss his cheek in forgiveness and tuck him into bed. and that’s if he came home. 

she moved towards the living room, denying herself the luxury of an empty bed just down the hallway. the tv was still on, the commercials flashing bright colors and catchy jingles at her as she pulled a blanket over herself. 

right before she fell asleep, joyce allowed herself a moment of optimism. she let herself believe that maybe lonnie would come home, see her on the couch and fix his ways. maybe he would take the boys to school and come home with flowers and make her lunch and fix all of his promises he had broken. 

but when she woke up, the tv was still on and she could hear her alarm going off in the bedroom. and joyce was still alone.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for the wait, annie. i hope it was worth it <3
> 
> milfbyers on twitter


End file.
